BRAZIL | Bolsonaro elected: building the widest unity of action in defense of democratic rights and liberties

Far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro (PSL) has won on Sunday (28), after a campaign marked by a dramatic social polarization in the country. Bolsonaro will become president after winning 57,797,456 (55.13%) of the vote, against 47,040,829 of Fernando Haddad (PT) (44.87% of the valid votes). Blank, void votes and abstentions have reached the record sum of more than 42 million voters.

The election, with many contradictions, demonstrated the great dissatisfaction of the working class and the majority of the population with politicians and their parties. But the lack of perspective in the face of the economic crisis and the disillusionment with the PT governments and their adaptation to the logic of the rotten system, including corruption, have strengthened an extreme right option.

However, the struggle against Bolsonaro’s election has mobilized broad sectors of workers, students, oppressed and democratic sectors of civil society, since their program of government represents what is most damaging to the working class and the country: from attacks on democratic freedoms and rights; an ultra-liberal economic policy, as a servile government, giving up wealth and our sovereignty with privatizations of all state-owned companies; of disrespect for human rights with discourse against oppressed sectors.

The speeches of the new president and his team shortly after the election result reaffirm positions and measures that the new government intends to put into practice, which represent threats to workers, reforming the country’s pension system early on the next government.

In a note for the 2nd round of the election, the National Executive Secretariat of CSP-Conlutas expressed the Labor Union’s position that it was necessary to defeat Bolsonaro in the polls and in the streets. That regardless of the government that was elected, CSP-Conlutas already posed as an Opposition and called for intensifying resistance, organization and fight against anyone who attacks the workers.

We reaffirm our position. We reiterate the realization that our main arena for defeating dictatorial projects and attacks on the rights of the people is the direct struggle, with class independence and based on workers’ democracy.

The polarized electoral result shows that Bolsonaro did not receive a “carte blanche” from the vast majority of Brazilians.

That is why we call on the workers and the poor people, regardless of the candidate they voted for, to ensure the unity of our class and prepare to fight, because no one wants the end of retirement, as they plan to do, or make the crisis worse.

We also make an immediate call to the Labor Unions and the movements to create the widest unity to build action against attacks on our rights and in defense of democratic freedoms.

The fight is just beginning. It’s time for resistance, organization and struggle!